Investigators thought Sohonyay was going to sell the drugs, and his bond was set at $300,000. He still was in custody during Tuesday’s plea hearing, which immediately was followed by the sentencing.

The Routt County District Attorney’s Office filed two felonies against Sohonyay. The first charge was a second offense of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, a Class 2 felony.

“Mr. Sohonyay was about to introduce that drug into our community,” the District Attorney’s Office stated after charges were filed.

The second felony charge was illegal possession of a prescription drug, a Class 6 felony, related to about 50 pain pills that were found inside Sohonyay’s hotel room. There also were five sentence enhancers filed against Sohonyay labeling him a habitual criminal. Those were related to Sohonyay’s five prior felony convictions. Sohonyay had a 17-page criminal history that included a 1997 methamphetamine drug trafficking conviction that led to a prison term, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

As part of a plea deal, Sohonyay on Tuesday pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance, a Class 3 felony. The District Attorney’s Office and Sohonyay’s attorney, Larry Combs, agreed that Sohonyay should be sentenced to 18 years in prison, which was halfway between the 12- to 24-year sentencing range. District Judge Shelley Hill accepted the sentencing recommendation.

Before handing down the sentence, Hill asked Sohonyay if he wanted to say anything. He declined.